Narwal Freo X Ultra review: Impressive next-gen robot vacuum/mop

It’s been more than a minute since I have had a robot vacuum or mop in for a review. I’ve always had pretty pleasant experiences with robot vacuum’s, most of the ones I’ve used performed fairly well. The most common problem I ever had was pet hair. The Narwal Freo X Ultra is the company’s latest offering. Introduced at CES 2024, this new robot vacuum and mop combo promises to be a big step forward in the industry.

Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

Many of the issues I’ve had with robot vacuums weren’t all that problematic for me. But, the Narwal Freo X Ultra does address many pains that some people have had with these types of devices. We’re going to go over this new robot vacuum and mop and perhaps, it will fit nicely into what you’re looking for in a robot vacuum and mop. Read on for the full review.

Narwal Freo X Ultra — The Quick Take

I won’t beat around the bush on the elephant in the room. The Narwal Freo X Ultra is expensive. With a $1,399.99 asking price, I can understand why some of you might look at this and say no. That is a big chunk of change to throw down on anything. This is one of those products where price to value subjectivity is going to really be key. Not everyone is going to see this as an enormous value, but many will.

If you’re already in the, “no way I spent that much money” camp, then this is probably not for you. Though I will say that Narwal sometimes has significant coupons on Amazon for it. But, if you are someone who puts a high value on a device that is nearly maintenance free, easy to set up, has a massive number of features. And does a fantastic job of keeping a home clean, then keep reading.

What I can say is this. If I had a budget, in this price range, for a robot vacuum, I would completely use it on the Narwal Freo X Ultra. Here are my top reasons for that:

• Very clean and minimal looking design that fits into any space.
• Robust build quality that should last a long time.
• Easy to set up and easy to use with an app that doesn’t confuse you.
• Incredible on pet hair, and the tangle free brush works amazingly well.
• The mopping function impressed me, older robot vacuums were terrible at this task, but the Freo X Ultra was remarkable.
• Depending on the carpet type, this has no problem going between hard floors and carpet and leaves no mess.

So my quick take is. If you can afford the Narwal Freo X Ultra and have been searching for a robot vacuum and mop, this is really a super purchase.

Specifications

The Narwal Freo X Ultra has the following features and specifications:

• Suction Power: 8200pa
• Brushes: 2 side brushes & aerodynamics detangling brush, 99.56% of hair captured, 0% tangled
• Mop: 180 RPM & 12N, microfiber, liftable up to 12mm
• Dustbin/Bag: 1L size, 2x dust compression, stores up to 7 weeks of dust
• Sensors: Tri-Laser structured light + InfraRed + Ultrasonic
• Battery Life: 3.5h / 260 sq meter cleaning area
• Noise Reduction: Min. 45db
• Base Station/Auto Features: Mop washing & heat drying, detergent adding, water refilling
• Water Tank: Clean 4.5L / Dirty 4.1L
• Voice Assistant: Siri Compatible

What’s In The Box

• Narwal Freo X Ultra Robot
• Narwal Freo X Ultra Base Station
• Floor Cleaner
• Zero Tangling Brush
• Three Disposable Dust Bags with Filters
• Dustbox with Filter
• Power Cable
• Mop Pads
• Side Brushes
• Two Filter Sponges
• Cleaning Hook
• Manuals and Documentation

Design

The Narwal Freo X Ultra design isn’t too far off from what robot vacuums have looked like for years. Under its skin it is a different story, but more on that later. The shape of the vacuum is the typical round shape most of these vacuums have. My first complaint, is the same one I have had for years, the Narwal Freo X Ultra is too tall to fit under the cabinet areas. That’s pretty typical for any of these things, so it’s not like a major complaint.

The Narwal Freo X Ultra is white, and I prefer this color, as it does a better job than black at hiding dirt on its chassis. The bottom of the Freo X houses the Zero Tangling Brush, the mop heads, wheels, and other operating bits and pieces.

The top of the Narwal Freo X Ultra houses the Tri-Laser system that maps and recognizes the room it’s in. The power button is also here and the magnetic lid that covers the dust bin, or bag. The Freo X comes with the typical dust bin that most robot vacuums come with, but this one seems twice as big as the previous ones I’ve used. You can also use the dust bag, which is disposable, and three of them are included. I prefer the dust bin, better to just empty the bin rather than have a disposable bag to replace. That’s purely subjective, use whichever you like.

The circumference of the Narwal Freo X Ultra houses sensors and other operating bits, including the bumper portion in front. All of these sensors and bumpers work with the laser system on top to map, navigate, and avoid obstacles in the room the Freo X is cleaning.

The robot itself is well-built and has some heft to it, it’s not impossible to move around, it’s just a little hefty. That isn’t a big deal as you’re rarely going to be picking it up. But the build quality is solid, the materials are top-notch, and it feels like you spent your money on something substantial.

The Narwal Freo X Ultra base station is equally well-built and solid. This little house for your Narwal looks nice in any room, as nice as it can anyway. It is also white, and it is made of glossy plastic, which is easy to clean and maintain.

There is an open port at the front where the Narwal enters to clean itself and sleep. Inside that hole is a system that the Freo X uses to clean and sanitize its mops, it also dries them. At the top is a lid that houses a display that you can use to operate the Narwal Freo X Ultra, more on that later.

Open the lid, and you find your clean and dirty water bins, along with a spot to place your cleaning solution bottle. One bottle comes with the Freo X and you can buy more on the company’s website or on Amazon. I can’t say how long this will last, but ours is still not empty, and we’ve used the robot twice a week for the past three or four weeks.

Overall, the design of the Narwal Freo X Ultra is one of the best I have ever seen for a robot vacuum. I was very surprised at just how good it was and pleased to see how far robot vacuum tech has come.

Ease of Use and Setup

Robot vacuums have never been all that complicated to use. The very early ones were easily operated with buttons on the unit, and then they moved to apps for control. The early apps were useless and buggy, but things have improved, a lot.

The Narwal Freo X Ultra can be controlled using the app or the touchscreen on the base station. I preferred using the app, the touchscreen works, but I found it easier to control from the app rather than go over to the base station, bend over, and interact with its touchscreen.

Physical set up is straightforward, remove the parts from the box, remove some tape and soft packaging, install brushes, install bins, fill the tank with water, and place the cleaning solution in its cubby. It’s not hard at all, there are just numerous parts to deal with, but not overwhelming. The inner tangle free brush and mop heads are already installed for you.

Once you have the Narwal Freo X Ultra physically setup and the base station plugged in, you should allow the robot to charge completely before using it. Meanwhile, you can download the Narwal app and get yourself an account so you can connect the robot to your smartphone.

You can set the app up while the robot is charging. Setup is straightforward, and if you’ve ever setup any sort of device with your phone, this is just about the same. Once you have the Narwal Freo X Ultra connected to your app and the battery is fully charged, you can move on to the next setup step.

The next step is to allow your new Narwal to explore and map your space. This first run will not run the vacuum or mopping features, this run simply uses the lasers and sensors to understand the space you’ve placed it in. I would recommend removing anything that is in the way, such as, cables, shoes, stools, chairs, and anything in places you want the robot to clean.

It’s also best to always have your space as close to as you had it when the Narwal Freo X Ultra first scanned it. The Narwal can adjust for new items added, but I find it easier to just always give it the same environment. Once you have the first mapping completed, you can give the robot its first mission.

Overall, the physical setup is straightforward and simple. The app set up and robot set up does take a bit of time and patience, but it is worth it so that you get the best experience from the Narwal Freo X Ultra.

App/Software

The Narwal Freo X Ultra app is available for both Android and iOS, we used the iOS version. The app is straightforward and simple, I like that. It has enough options to make the most of the Freo X Ultra, but isn’t overcomplicated either.

At the bottom of the app, you have three options:

• Task: This is where you can schedule a new task or quick task. This is nice because you can set a time and date, and you can set up the task to perform at the same time in the future as well.
• Clean: This is your main middle option. This is where you have a play and pause button and where you can choose your different modes of cleaning or use a custom option. Here you also get the mapping of the room and area the Narwal Freo X Ultra has mapped. There are other adjustments you can make here as well, such as the suction power of the robot and the mopping.
• History: This is easy to understand, this shows your past cleaning sessions and the results.

The app is also where you will update the firmware and change any settings you want for the Freo X Ultra. Overall, this is a good app. Much better than what I’ve used in the past. Simple to navigate with useful information that doesn’t bombard you with unneeded things.

Performance/Battery

The Narwal Freo X Ultra really impressed me in terms of performance. You also have to remember that the last robot vacuum I used was over three years ago, so I am comparing it to that experience.

First Use

First use. The first time we used the Narwal Freo X Ultra, I have to admit that I was frustrated. It took several hours for this robot to get through its cleaning cycle and it seemed to be mopping the same area over and over again. It wasn’t until I read the manual and went on Narwal’s website that I realized that it has what the company calls, DirtSense.

DirtSense is part of the entire smart portion of the Freo X Ultra. Narwal says that DirtSense uses sensor arrays and algorithms to monitor dirt in real-time and won’t stop mopping until floors are flawless. Well, they ain’t lying. I admit, we don’t mop our floors nearly as often as we should and in the days before using the Freo X Ultra, it rained a few days straight, resulting in the dogs tracking in more dirt than usual.

So the Narwal Freo X Ultra was only doing its job and it kept on until it felt the area was clean. That first run took almost three hours and a full tank and a half of water. That time included each time the Freo X Ultra returned to the base station to empty itself, clean itself, and take on fresh water.

Our second run only took 40 minutes, and that was two days after the first run. So the floors were significantly cleaner than they were on the first run. Our third run time was down to just over 30 minutes. Therefore, you can probably expect to see your first run time go long as the Narwal Freo X Ultra DirtSense feature is ensuring clean floors.

Vacuum Performance

With, 8200Pa suction, Narwal claims 99% of particles removed from hard floors. That is some powerful suction, but you will have to make sure, if you want it to operate at that suction, to enable it. I found that the suction did a fantastic job of picking up everything in its path. One thing I did observe, when on high suction, the air flows out of the back vent and can sometimes blow some things around. Not a massive deal, just something to point out.

The suction did an impressive job on our rug as well, picking up our dog’s hairs with ease, and the dust bin has a self-contained dust and hair processing that compresses the refuse to optimize room in the bin. The Zero Hair Tangling brush, one of the big selling points on the Freo X Ultra, astonished me. After six uses, there was not one single tangle or hair in that brush.

I had to remove hairs from the side brushes, but the main brush, nothing. It was clean as a whistle. Here’s what Narwal says about that brush. “Narwal Freo X Ultra features a unique floating brush that guides hair and fur into the suction pipe. It ensures sustained performance without maintenance and zero risk of tangling.”

It is really great for pet owners but also extremely fantastic for homes with girls with long hair. There are four ladies in my home, my daughters, and my wife. All of them have long hair, and I was blown away that NONE of their hair was caught up in this brush. Just a great job on the vacuum side.

Mopping Performance

You can set the Narwal Freo X Ultra to mop first and vacuum second or vice versa or you can opt to only mop or vacuum. I always use the mop and vac first and then vac rugs last. So the Freo X Ultra would go through the hard floors and mop and vacuum at the same time and then come back to heavy soiled areas to finish mopping. And then do carpets last.

What I found impressive is that DirtSense feature, this thing will mop until the area is clean. If it senses a stain, it will put pressure down on the mop heads to help scrub harder. This really blew me away. The other thing that I really loved is that the mop heads are round, like a weird round but round.

They move in a circular motion opposite each other and really do a fantastic job of cleaning. I was so used to robot mops with just a pad on the back that just dragged along like a broken arm. This actually lays down a good amount of water and you can see it working.

The base station houses your clean and dirty water tanks. When the Narwal Freo X Ultra is done mopping and is full of dirty water. It heads back to base, empties itself into the dirty water tank, and then refills itself with clean water and a dash of cleaning solution.

Overall, this thing has made our floors cleaner than they’ve ever been. Let’s face it, we’re lazy when it comes to mopping, but the Narwal Freo X Ultra is not.

You Missed That Spot

One thing that hasn’t changed with robot vacuums is their lack of nimbleness and reach. The Freo X Ultra did have issues getting into corners and under cabinets. The mopping feature also turned off before it actually got on and off the carpet, leaving just a slight area unmopped.

None of this is surprising, you have to understand the limitations of these robot vacuums and mops. This is one of the major limitations. So you will need to use another mop or stick vac to get into the corners and under cabinets. Not a dealbreaker in my book, since this is expected behavior.

Maintenance and Battery

I’ve said it throughout this review. The Narwal Freo X Ultra requires little to no maintenance, and that is fantastic. Here’s a checklist of what you can expect to do for maintenance.

• Check brushes for hair, depending on how much you use it
• Check that mops are still in usable order, depending on how much you use it
• Fill clean water tank
• Empty dirty water tank
• Fill cleaner
• Empty Dust Bin every few weeks, depending on how much you use it
• Clean base station self-cleaning pod

That may seem like a lot, but pretty much all of these things are done periodically and not after every use. This is really a mostly hands-free system. I would say, check it monthly and you’re good to go. Once a month to run down that checklist is peanuts.

As for battery life. The first run took a whole battery cycle and a half to complete, about 3-hours. But since then, the Narwal Freo X Ultra does our space and has 75% of its battery left. Battery will also depend on if you use high suction and how often you use the unit. Battery life was excellent, by my estimation.

Overall, the performance of the Narwal Freo X Ultra was exceptional and exceeded my expectations. I was truly shocked.

Price/Value

The Narwal Freo X Ultra is priced at $1,399.99 on Amazon. That is a pretty penny for a robot vacuum and mop, but you have to consider the base station and automated features. As of this review, Narwal does have a $200 coupon on Amazon, so that saves you some cash.

Given the features and the near-maintenance-free upkeep of the Narwal Freo X Ultra, I do believe there is a lot of value here. That said, This is one of those things where the subjectivity will be very high. Some users may feel the price is too high for what they get, and others may feel there is a high amount of value. This is where you will have to make that call for yourself.

Narwal Freo X Photo Gallery

Wrap Up

The Narwal Freo X Ultra shows me that robot vacuums and mops have improved by miles. I love that this unit is nearly maintenance free and that it is simple to use. The tangle free brush really works, the dust bin is huge for a robot vacuum, the mops are excellent, and it does a fantastic job of cleaning up. The only thing I can see stopping people from buying this, is the price. That’s where you have to decide if the price to value ratio makes sense for you.

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Last Updated on April 17, 2024.